These are the assignments to be completed by 7th grade students during the second quarter of the 2012-2013 school year. When updating their ePortfolio sites, students need to make sure that their writing is interesting to read and appropriate for their grade level. All grammar and spelling should be correct and should be at least four sentences in length, unless told otherwise. Many of these assignments could be completed at home, if needed. Student will need Internet access and may need access to the programs listed below in order to complete the assignments.
In order to transfer completed work between home and school, the student would need access to the Internet and would need to log in to Edmodo and upload files to their library. Files uploaded to the student's library could then be downloaded to their computer at school and turned in for grading.
Assignment Description
Resources Needed
Mock Election
Student will read the Candidate Statements from the California Voter's Guide. If they want to know more about a particular candidate, they will click on the link to the candidate's web site and look around. Students should not vote until they have at least read the Candidate Statements!
If student is still unsure who they would vote for, they will try the iSideWith Quiz - There may be issues on the quiz, they don't understand in the quiz. If this is they case, they should look these up to see what they mean.
Student will go to Edmodo and cast their vote in the Middle School Election poll.
How to Turn In: This will be turned in as part of the Google Sites post for the election activities.
Can this be completed at home? This was an in class activity and the student will be excused from the activity if they were not in school on Election day.
Students will work together as a class on a Google Document about the 2012 Election Results and the 1872 Election and will research answers to the 14 questions presented. Students will need to decide who will work on which questions and may assist one another in the chat feature of Google Docs. All students will be expected to read all of the answers and suggest changes/additions should they be needed.
How to Turn In: This will be turned in as part of the Google Sites post for the election activities.
Can this be completed at home? This was an in class activity and the student will be excused from the activity if they were not in school on both of the days this was edited. They are not excused if they were in class on either day.
Student will log in to Edmodo and download the image for the results of the 7th & 8th Grade Mock Election in to their folder. This will be needed for their Google Site post.
Student will add a post to their Google Site in Quarter 2 for the 2012 Presidential Election.
The introductory information needs to include both what was done on November 6th in class (if the student was in class on the 6th) and what was done with the collaborative document. Students must include links to the sites they used to determine how they would vote on the 6th whether they sites swayed their vote or not. Student must also include links to the CNN Election Map and the Electoral Map from 1872 that were used when working on the collaborative document. In order to cover all of this completely and in an interesting way, this should be longer than the minimum required length.
Student will use Insert / Image to link to upload the Mock Election results image, if the student was in class on Election day.
If student worked on the collaborative document, they will use Insert / Document to include the Electoral Map/Election Analysis document OR will include a text link in their introductory paragraph to the collaborative document.
Student's reflection needs to include what they liked and/or didn't like about this assignment and why. Most importantly, their reflection must include what their learned from the election assignments and any opinions they have about the election process.
How to Turn In: Student will turn in the link to their post on their Google Site in Edmodo
Can this be completed at home? If the student has access to the Internet, this assignment can be completed at home.
Student will watch BrainPop Blogging Video & take the quiz following the video emailing the results to stmcomputers@gmail.com.
Student will download PaperBlog.ppt and save this in their folder renaming it as they save it to 7th-FirstName-PaperBlog.ppt. Once it has been downloaded, student can click on it at the bottom of their browser and it will open in PowerPoint.
Student will name their blog and their blog post and will change About Me to About "Their First Name"
Student will write one to two paragraphs about something they are passionate about. This should be something that they could do all day, every day and not even realize how much time passed. It could be a sport or hobby or a topic that has a lot of importance to them like their faith or the environment, etc. Student must use proper grammar and spelling - no TEXT or IM speak. Capitalize the prounoun "I". Use punctuation. This should be treated as if it were online so the student should not reveal any personal information like their last name, where they live, etc.
Student should add a list of their favorite blogs or their classmates blogs to the Blogroll or replace the Blogroll with a list of their favorite sites.
Student will then decorate their blog by adding a background, adding clipart or other pictures that relate to their blog or their blog post. The written blog post should be the focus and not the pictures!
Student will save their blog both as a PPT file and as PNG for posting on their ePortfolio site.
How to turn in: Student will turn in their "blog" (PPT File) in on Edmodo.
Can this be completed at home? If the student has access to the Internet and Microsoft PowerPoint, this assignment could be fully completed at home. Once the PowerPoint file has been completed and saved on the student's home computer, it should be uploaded to the student's library on Edmodo so the student can downloaded it to their computer at school.
Class will listen to the book "Christmas Day in the Morning" by Pearl S. Buck
Student will write an MLA Formatted essay (or story if they wish to fictionalize this) about a gift of love that they want to give to someone or that they have given to someone with the following requirements:
The essay/story includes WHO the gift would be given to, WHY the gift would be given to that person and WHAT and/or HOW the gift would be given
The essay/story must be saved with the correct naming conventions: 7th-StudentFirstName-Gift (Gift could be something else but should include gift in it somewhere)
Student will upload their completed essay into the Public folder of their Google Drive.
Student will add a post to their Google Site in the 2nd Quarter for the Gift of Love assignment:
The introductory text must include information about the book that was read and the requirements for the essay/story and what programs were used to complete the assignment.
Student should use Insert / Document to embed their essay in the post.
The student's reflection needs to include what they liked and/or didn't like about this assignment and why. The reflection should also include anything they learned from the assignment, if applicable. What the student learned does not need to be just about the programs they used but can be about something they learned about themselves.
How to Turn In: Student will turn in the link to their Google Site post on Edmodo.
Can this be completed at home? Step 1 this assignment must be completed at school or the student may borrow the book to be read on their own. If student has access to Microsoft Word or the Internet they can complete step 2 at home either in Microsoft Word or by logging in to their Google Drive account and creating a Google Document in their Public Folder. If the student has access to the Internet, they can complete step 3 and 4 at home.
Student will log in to Edmodo and take the Blog Commenting Quiz.
Student will comment on their classmates blogs using post-its following the guidelines in the document. Comments must be signed and must be specific to each blog being commented on.
Student will add a post to their Google Site in the 2nd Quarter for the Paper Blogging assignment:
The introductory text must include information about the entire project from the BrainPop video through to the commenting.
Student should use Insert / Image to add the PNG image of their Paper Blog.
The student's reflection needs to include what they liked and/or didn't like about this assignment and why. The reflection also needs to include what the student learned about blogging and what they learned about PowerPoint, if anything. Once again it should be written at grade level and should be enjoyable to read.
How to Turn In: Student will turn in the link to their Google Site post on Edmodo.
Can this be completed at home? If student has access to the Internet, they can complete this assignment at home. Student must upload the PNG of their Paper Blog to their library on Edmodo in order to complete steps 3 & 4 of this assignment at home. If they have not uploaded the PNG of their Paper Blog to their library on Edmodo, student may complete the written portion of their post on their Google Site at home but will need to add their Paper Blog image and turn their post in at school.
Table of Contents
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Paint
- Paint.NET - a free graphics program for Windows
In order to transfer completed work between home and school, the student would need access to the Internet and would need to log in to Edmodo and upload files to their library. Files uploaded to the student's library could then be downloaded to their computer at school and turned in for grading.Mock Election
How to Turn In: This will be turned in as part of the Google Sites post for the election activities.
Can this be completed at home?
This was an in class activity and the student will be excused from the activity if they were not in school on Election day.
Collaborative Election Analysis
Students will work together as a class on a Google Document about the 2012 Election Results and the 1872 Election and will research answers to the 14 questions presented. Students will need to decide who will work on which questions and may assist one another in the chat feature of Google Docs. All students will be expected to read all of the answers and suggest changes/additions should they be needed.How to Turn In: This will be turned in as part of the Google Sites post for the election activities.
Can this be completed at home?
This was an in class activity and the student will be excused from the activity if they were not in school on both of the days this was edited. They are not excused if they were in class on either day.
For results of the election
To see number of electoral votes for each state
2012 Election Post
How to Turn In: Student will turn in the link to their post on their Google Site in Edmodo
Can this be completed at home?
If the student has access to the Internet, this assignment can be completed at home.
Paper Blog
How to turn in: Student will turn in their "blog" (PPT File) in on Edmodo.
Can this be completed at home?
If the student has access to the Internet and Microsoft PowerPoint, this assignment could be fully completed at home. Once the PowerPoint file has been completed and saved on the student's home computer, it should be uploaded to the student's library on Edmodo so the student can downloaded it to their computer at school.
Gift of Love
How to Turn In: Student will turn in the link to their Google Site post on Edmodo.
Can this be completed at home?
Step 1 this assignment must be completed at school or the student may borrow the book to be read on their own. If student has access to Microsoft Word or the Internet they can complete step 2 at home either in Microsoft Word or by logging in to their Google Drive account and creating a Google Document in their Public Folder. If the student has access to the Internet, they can complete step 3 and 4 at home.
Paper Blog Commenting
How to Turn In: Student will turn in the link to their Google Site post on Edmodo.
Can this be completed at home?
If student has access to the Internet, they can complete this assignment at home. Student must upload the PNG of their Paper Blog to their library on Edmodo in order to complete steps 3 & 4 of this assignment at home. If they have not uploaded the PNG of their Paper Blog to their library on Edmodo, student may complete the written portion of their post on their Google Site at home but will need to add their Paper Blog image and turn their post in at school.